Would you be PO'd if DirectTV did this to you?

[VTrider]

Okay so it's about a year now since subscribing to 'DirectTV' and all seems well. Have no problems, the bill arrives every month and everything is fine. Well, just opened my bill this month and there is this extra charge for $44.50 for some package called 'ESPN 2001-02 FULL COURT'.

Thing is I never ordered this, well to be exact..'re-ordered' this. Exactly a year ago I ordered this and that was that. So I called the service and tell them that I never ordered this package and I want it off/credited my bill. So the lady rep. on the other end starts giving me some crap about how it's non-refundable, blah, blah, blah. She tells me that you ordered it back in 2000, and I replied ofcourse, but I didn't order it now. So then she starts to beat around the bush, at this point i'm pretty upset and tell her she better take it off my bill. At that point (after talking to a supervisor) she kindly removes it from my bill.

Now is this a shady practice or what? To think that they were actually giving me a hard time about removing it and I didn't even order it in the first place! I imagine a room full of marketing CEO's 30 stories up drinking coffee making some policy to automatically charge customers packages that they only ordered for a one time thing - they know a small minority of those customers won't cancell it because they were probably trying to make the decision to get the package or not, so they say 'oh what the hell - i'll just keep it'. Money man, it's all about money - the thing is they are passing this off as they were doing 'me' a favor thinking I wanted this package again, fact is it's just an unethical business practice if you ask me.

Would you be angry?

(BTW: why am I still a 'junior member' w/this # of posts?)

 

[TuffGuy]

well, it's like this. they're doing YOU a service by saving YOU the time/effort of reordering. <end sarcasm>

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

i think they do it as a "courtesy" Since you ordered it last year, they order it for you again, so you don't have to do it... I don't think it's right, cuz you're right, some people wouldn't notice, and other will say what the hell....

pstt, senior member comes at 200

 

[monto]

<< i think they do it as a "courtesy" >>

a discourteous one at that

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

Yes, that's a very shady tactic, good thing they finally removed the charge.

You can email or PM a mod, or post a note in forum issues about your non-memberness, they will fix you up (as time allows - usually pretty quick turn-around).

 

[MrCodeDude]

It's called "business." All companies do it.
-- mrcodedude

 

[dman]

Just move to Cananda and get it for free.

 

[VTrider]

Lol! Yeah exactly, some courtesy!! Gee thanks, but no thanks. Ya know, a courtesy is if they subtly 'reminded' me a month in advance on the bill if I wanted to 'reorder' it next month - that's courtesy. Just plain taggin it on your bill without telling you is just plain rude. Man, if i'm ever in the big city and walk by a DirectTV CEO going to a lunch, i'm going to spill me coffee on his cheesy 3 piece suit, courtesy my @ss.

hehe, sorry I like to vent now..

(BTW: I know sr. member is 200 posts, but I thought there exists a 'member' ranking after 20?)

 

[Pabster]

DirecTV has always had that policy. You sign up once, it renews automatically every year, unless you tell them otherwise. I don't see anything wrong with it, personally. I get most of the sports packages every year anyway. It is in the ToS, and also told to you when you order the package in the first place.

 

[dman]

Forums don't auto change member status anymore. You have to post in forum issues to get it fixed.

 

[n0cmonkey]

BWAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Hughes Electronics are crooks. I used to work for them. You want to cancel something? Go ahead, we will charge you another 6 months before you notice.

Ill NEVER knowingly buy anything of theirs.

 

[N8Magic]

That is completely bogus. Thank goodness there are laws against that type of thing up here...

Imagine, its like you ordering a pay-per-view movie, and them ordering another movie at the same time next week, because they "thought you would enjoy another movie". Complete rubbish.

 

[Sugadaddy]

I understand how you feel, but it's very different from ordering a PPV movie... It's like calling to unlock a channel, they'll leave it opened until you call back to cancel it. I know it's not like other channels since it's not on all year long, but it's the same principle.

At least they took it off your bill.

 

[N8Magic]

<< I understand how you feel, but it's very different from ordering a PPV movie... It's like calling to unlock a channel, they'll leave it opened until you call back to cancel it. I know it's not like other channels since it's not on all year long, but it's the same principle. >>



Actually, I believe it IS the same as ordering a pay-per-view movie.

It differs from calling to unlock a channel because, when calling to unlock a channel, you are quite aware that you are ordering the channel indefinitely. By ordering NBA Full Court, you are expecting a seasons worth of b-ball for one price. Not two seasons or three, but one, much as you expect to watch one movie (and one only) when ordering a PPV movie.

 

[VTrider]

<< DirecTV has always had that policy. You sign up once, it renews automatically every year, unless you tell them otherwise. I don't see anything wrong with it, personally. I get most of the sports packages every year anyway. It is in the ToS, and also told to you when you order the package in the first place. >>



I still think they are misleading about their 're-newing courtesy' habits. They never told 'me' when I first ordered service (or when I first ordered that package) that it would automatically be renewed for me the following year. I'm the kind of customer who usually reads the fine print also and don't remember seeing that policy. Perhaps it's written somewhere on some paperwork when you buy the dish, if so it's still a lousy practice designed not to do you a favor, but to get more $$$ out of you in a clever and legal way.

 

[VTrider]

<< Forums don't auto change member status anymore. You have to post in forum issues to get it fixed. >>



thx,did not realize that - will head on over to forum issues forum

 

[Sugadaddy]

<<

<< I understand how you feel, but it's very different from ordering a PPV movie... It's like calling to unlock a channel, they'll leave it opened until you call back to cancel it. I know it's not like other channels since it's not on all year long, but it's the same principle. >>



Actually, I believe it IS the same as ordering a pay-per-view movie.

It differs from calling to unlock a channel because, when calling to unlock a channel, you are quite aware that you are ordering the channel indefinitely. By ordering NBA Full Court, you are expecting a seasons worth of b-ball for one price. Not two seasons or three, but one, much as you expect to watch one movie (and one only) when ordering a PPV movie. >>




Then why can't you order it with the remote like a PPV movie? You have to call like when you unlock other channels, there's a difference...